CEQA Compliance:N/A

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW
CONDITIONS:During April 2004,
Carmel River streamflow conditions were only fair for smolt out-migration and
fish rearing. Conditions in the lower river were poor for adult in-migration.
In April, mean daily streamflow recorded at the District’s Carmel River Sleepy
Hollow Weir gaging station averaged 48 cubic feet per second (cfs) and ranged
from 24 to 59 cfs.

In
April 2004, 0.11 inches of rainfall were
recorded by Cal-Am at San Clemente Dam (SCD).The long-term April average at this site is 1.67 inches.In the past two months, only 0.63inches of rain fell at SCD, well below the
long-term average of 5.0 inches.For
Water Year 2004 through the end of April, the total rainfall is 17.97
inches, or 87% of average.NOAA has characterized the Monterey Bay area as “Abnormally Dry”,
one step above “Moderate Drought”.Robert Renard, Monterey meteorologist, stated in his April 2004 Weather
Summary that Monterey temperatures were 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal in
April, and March temperatures were 5.8 degrees above normal.These two factors, dry and warm, combined
with four of the five previous years of below-normal rainfall, are creating the
worst spring conditions for steelhead since 1994.

The Carmel River Lagoon was closed for much of April but
had a number of brief openings that drained out most of the water and allowed
fish to emigrate to the ocean. The water surface elevation (WSE) ranged from
2.6 feet to 9.1 feet.

Carmel
Lagoon Water Level April 2004

CARMEL RIVER STEELHEAD REDD SURVEY: Staff completed it’s 2004 annual steelhead redd (nests) survey in
April.Approximately 95% of the river
from Highway 1 (RM1.1) to Los Padres Dam (RM 24.8) was surveyed at least
once.The lower portion of Pine
Creek was also surveyed. The numbers of redds, adult fish, smolts and
fry were noted for each reach. Preliminary survey results are as
follows: In the Carmel River Mainstem, 107 redds, 4 spawning pairs, 5 single
adults, 0 kelts, and 14 carcasses were observed.In Pine Creek, 5 redds, 0 adults, and many fry were seen. Much of the survey was completed in late
April so that as many redds as possible would be counted.The low number of adult fish seen is a
likely result of the late time period.

SLEEPY HOLLOW FISH REARING FACILITY:In April 2004,Staff
continued to prepare the Facility for a May start-up.The river intake screen that was removed two weeks
ago and retrofitted with additional adjustment slots was reinstalled,
testing was started on the water pumps and alarm systems, and overhanging dead
tree limbs were removed by Iverson Tree Service.

ADULT STEELHEAD COUNTS AT SAN
CLEMENTE DAM:The District’s
automatic adult fish counter at the San Clemente Dam Ladder was installed in
early January 2004.As of April 30,
2004, 386 counts had been recorded.This is the lowest number of adults counted at SCD (through April) since
1995(310 total), but is similar to
1999 (397).Relatively low numbers of
spawning adults in 1999 and 2000, paired with this year’s dry spring conditions
and low river flows are the likely causes of the low total count.In addition, the spawning habitat conditions
below SCD, in particular between Boronda Road bridge (River Mile [RM] 12.7) and
Schulte Road bridge (RM 6.7) have improved dramatically in the past few years
and more adults may be spawning there instead of migrating up past the dam.

TOTAL THRU04/30/2004386

MONTH

NUMBER OF ADULTS

JAN 2004

14

FEB 2004

197

MAR 2004

163

APR 2004

12

MAY 2004

*Visual counts are steelhead observed
above the counter during maintenance activities.**Discharge measured at the MPWMD
gaging station at Sleepy Hollow Weir or San Clemente Spillway.